B r R 



in the pkafures of fecial intercourfe with pcrfons the mod 

 diftiuguifhed for their attachment to letters and fcience. 

 With refpcA to theological fubjeas, his fentimcnts were ra- 

 tional and liberal, and he was a zealous friend to religious 

 and civil liberty. In this refpedl his views and pi incip'es \vere 

 conformable to thofe of the truly excellent bithop Hoiidly. 

 In literary labour few perfons have been more diligent 

 and indefatigable tlian Dr. Birch. The firil great woik in 

 which he engaged was, " The General Didionary, HiHo- 

 rical and Critical," comprehending a new tranflation of that 

 of Mr. Bavle, and feveral thoufand new lives, never before 

 publilhtd. ' This valuable work was completed, principally 

 by himfelf, with the co-operation of the reverend Mr. John 

 Peter Bernard, Mr. John Lockman, and Mr. George Sale, 

 in 10 volumes, folio. The full volume appeared in 1734, 

 andthelall in 1741. In 1737, he pubhlhed " Profeflor 

 Greaves's Mifcellaneous Works," 2 vols. 8vo. ; and in 

 1742, " Thurloe's State Papers," in 7 vols, folio, with a 

 dedication to lord chancellor Haidwicke. In 1743, he 

 edited " Cndworth's Intelleftual Syftcni," his " Difeourfe 

 on the Lord's Supper," and " Two Sermons," with a life 

 of the writer, in 2 vols. 410. His " Life of the Hon. Robert 

 Boyle," 8vo. which has been fince prefixed to the 410. 

 edition of that eminent pliilofoplitr's works, appeared in 

 1744; and in the fame year lie began a feries of biogra- 

 phical flcctches of dillinguilhed pcrfons, defigned to accom- 

 pany their engraved portraits by Howbraken and Vertue. 

 The firll volume of this work was completed in 1747, and 

 the fecond in 1752. In 1747, he pubhfiied in 8vo. " An 

 Iriquiry into the (hare which king Charles I. had in the 

 Tranfadions of the Earl of Glamorgan, &c." a fad which, 

 however overlooked, or difputed by fome of our hiftorians, 

 was confirmed by the evidence adduced in this interelling 

 pubUcation, and has been iince further corroborated by the 

 Clarendon Hate papers. In 174*^, Dr. Birch was the 

 editor, in 2 vols. 8vo. of the " Mil^cellaneous Works of Sir 

 Walter Raleigh," to which is prefixed a life of the author. 

 His next publication was " An Hilforical View of the 

 Negotiations between the Courts of England, France, and 

 Brulfels, from the year 1592 to 16:7; extrafted chiefly 

 from the MS. ftate papers of fir Thomas Edmondes, and of 

 Anthony Bacon, eiq. ; to which is added, a relation of the 

 ilate of France, with the charader of Henry IV. and tlie 

 principal pcrfons of his C(,urt, by fir George Carew," Svo. 

 1749. To this volume Dr. Birch has prefixed a difeourfe 

 on tlie utility of deducing hillory from the original letters 

 and papers of the perfons who wcte the principal ailors in 

 public affairs, followed by a biographical account of the 

 three negotiations above-mentioned. Mrs. Cockburn's 

 *' Theological, moral, dramatic, and poetical works," 2 vols. 

 Rvo. with the life of that ingenious lady, were edited by 

 Dr. Birch in 1751 ; and he alfo publiflied an edition of 

 *' Spciifer's Fairy Qiieen," in 3 vols. 410. One of his moll 

 popular works, which was " The Life of Archbifliop 

 Tillotfon, compiled cliieily from his original papers and 

 letters," and dedicated to archbilhop Herring, in one volume, 

 ^vo. appeared in 1752 ; and in the toUowing year he re- 

 vifed an edition of " Milton's Profe Works," in 2 vols. 4to. 

 to which is prefixed a new life of the author. In 1754, he 

 publilhed in 2 vols. 410. " Memoirs of the reign of Qiieen 

 Elizabeth, from the year 1581 till her death, &c. from the 

 papers of Anthony Bacon, efq. and other MSS. never 

 before pubhdied ;" in which, befides a tiiU difplay of the 

 temper and actions of the earl of EfTex, much light is thrown 

 on the charafters of the Cecils, Bacons, and other eminent 

 perfons of that period. Dr. Birch's next publication was 

 •' The Iliftory of the Royal Society of London, from its 



B I R 



firft rife ; in which the moft confidcrable pf thofe Papers 

 communicattd to the Society, which have hitherto not been 

 pubhlhed, are infcrtcd in their proper order, as a Supple- 

 ment to the Philofophical Tranfaaions." The two lirll 

 volumes of this work appeared in 1756, and the other two 

 volumes in 1757; and they bring down the hillory to the 

 end of the year 1687. This is unqueftioiiably an ufeful 

 book of reference, and contains many particulars which 

 may be of occafional fervice both to the philofoplier and 

 the biographer. In 1760, Dr. Birch pubhflied "Letters 

 between°Culonel Robert Hammond, Governor of the Ille of 

 Wight, and the Committee of Lords and Commons at 

 Derisy-lioufe, &c. concerning the King's deportment at 

 Hampton Court, and in the lllc of Wight," Svo. ; and he 

 clofed his voluminous labours with " Letters, Speeches, 

 Charges, Advices, Sec. of Francis Bacon, lord vifcount 

 St. Alban's, &c. in one volume, 8vo. Soon after his 

 death. Dr. Maty publilhed, " The Life of Dr. Ward," 

 which he had juil lived to finifh ; and he had alfo pre- 

 pared for the prefs, " Hillorical Letters, written in the 

 reign of James I. and Charles 1." which Mr. Ayfcough 

 propofed to pubhih. In the hit of his printed works we 

 might alfo comprehend fome papers communicated to the 

 Royal Society, and fome accounts of books in the works of 

 the learned ; but befides thtfe, fuch was his unwearied af- 

 fiduity in colhaing every fragment pertaining to literature, 

 and deemed by him of importance, that he lelt behind him 

 24 volumes 4to. of various papers copied by himfelf from 

 the Lambeth library. Upon the whole, whatever may be 

 thought of Dr. Birch's judgment in his fekaion of materials, 

 of the minutenefs of his refearches, of the juftice and faga- 

 city of his inferences from the fads which he produces, and 

 of the want of elegance and animation in his ftyle, it muft be 

 allowed, that literature has already derived, and may yet fur- 

 ther derive, great benefit from his labours. Biog. Brit. 



Birch tree, in Botany. See BetulA. 



Birch, barh, fungus, leaves, tivigs, ivincof. See BetulA. 



Birch hay, in Geography, a bay on the coall of New Al- 

 bion, fituate in N. lat. 48° 53' 30". E. long. 237° 33'. 



I'jiRCK, in Geography, a town of Germany, in the circle 

 of Wellphalia, and duchy of Berg ; 3 miles N. E. of Sieg- 

 berg. 



BIRD, Birds, Aves, in Ornithology. Sec Avis, and 

 Ornithology. 



Bird, or fowl-meael grafs, in Agriculture, a fpecies of 

 grafs, v\hich has been lately cultivated with a particular at- 

 tention. It is a fine, fweet, filky grafs, with a durable ver- 

 dure ; throws out a great crop, and produces a large quan- 

 tity wf feed. One rood of ground yielded a hundred weight 

 of feed, and a very large load of hay. It is moft proper for 

 upland meadow : the feed fhould be left uncovered on the 

 ground. 



Birds, Anatomy of. The regard which has been be- 

 llowed upon this tribe of animals, by different defcriptions 

 of mankind, renders their organization one of the moft in- 

 terefting branches of general anatomy. The immeiife cata- 

 logue of the fpecies of birds, and the variety and beauty of 

 their external charaders, have made them favourite objeds 

 of inveftigatibn with the natural hiftorian. The extraordi- 

 nary degree of inftind difplayed in all their habits and eco- 

 nomy, more efpecially in the attachment of the fexes, the 

 conliruaion of their nefts, the care of their young, and the 

 condud of their migrations, have called forth tlie admira- 

 tion of the philofopher and the lover of nature. The fplen- 

 did colouring of their plumage, the powers of melody, and 

 the livelinefs and docility of many fpecies, have given them 

 value as objeds of beauty or entertainment ; whjlft others 



